Why 'it tastes fine' should never be the test for expired packaged food
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration and Navi Mumbai police crime branch conducted the operation between August 24 and 29, seizing more than ₹76 lakh worth of goods, including snacks, noodles, soup, mayonnaise and soft drinks. Officials said original manufacturing and expiry dates were erased…
Officials said original manufacturing and expiry dates were erased and replaced with newer dates and that ingredient and nutritional labels were also altered. Equipment and chemicals allegedly used to remove printing and create replacement labels were seized.
The case highlights an important misconception about packaged food: expiry does not necessarily announce itself through a terrible smell or obviously rotten taste. It contains preservatives, has controlled moisture and is sealed against the environment.
What Happened
So people assume that if an expired packet still tastes all right, it must be safe. What happens after that date depends greatly on the food.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration and Navi Mumbai police crime branch conducted the operation between August 24 and 29, seizing more than ₹76 lakh worth of goods, including snacks, noodles, soup, mayonnaise.
It effectively resets the clock printed on the packet without resetting what has already been happening to the food inside.
That is what makes expiry-date fraud more than a labelling offence.
Key Details
Fats in chips, biscuits, namkeen and instant foods gradually oxidise, producing rancidity and breaking down flavour and nutritional quality. Vitamins can degrade over time while moisture or microscopic damage to packaging can encourage microbial growth.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises consumers not to eat food beyond its expiry or use-by date and notes that refrigeration and packaging can slow food deterioration but do not preserve food indefinitely.
A packet repeatedly transported or stored in hot warehouses may therefore age differently from the same product kept under recommended conditions.
Experts say oxidation of oils continues slowly during storage while temperature, sunlight and humidity can accelerate deterioration.
Why It Matters
Sauces, mayonnaise, dairy-based products and other foods containing more moisture can pose a greater microbiological concern if storage conditions have also been poor. Experts stress that there is also an important distinction between “best before” and “use by” or expiry dates.
Even dry foods are not automatically harmless.
FSSAI rules state that food beyond its expiry or use-by date should not be sold or distributed for human consumption.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge
